Franco needs to spend time with the public who actually pays to see movies Yeah, and he needs to finally pay attention to what makes a story addictive, or at least entertaining. The character arcs are weak, so sure enough the plot ain't there. We felt like when you catch a sci-fi movie on tv about a pixellated sabertooth messing around - you can't help but say "it can't be so bad, it has to be on purpose, now throw some cubic shark in the mix"... Same with The Rental, we were convinced there was going to be a punny twist or something that would justify it was in the box office. Nope. Never happened. By the end, Franco even teases us (see how I still give him credit after a whole movie of not knowing how to go anywhere?) with a cute payoff. But it seems by then everybody was too tired and broke from the nonsense. You do exit the theatre not being able to believe you just paid for that.